The Importance of Family Farming

The Curator (which has a new look!) published an interesting little piece on the trend toward transparency in food systems and the importance of a very old institution:

We should be encouraged to note that a people-based food system isn’t just a trend; it’s the model by which most of the world’s food is grown. Family farmers—those who farm the small plots next to their homes for their own sustenance as well as a source of income—produce 70 percent of the world’s food. They represent the backbone of our global food system. For the rural food economy, and therefore the global food economy, relationship is everything. Family farmers intimately know their land, the seasons and their neighbors, with whom they barter food and sell produce. The International Year of Family Farming gives us a chance to recognize people as the essential ingredient in a healthy food system.

If we truly value a food system that hinges on transparency and relationship, then it is time to invest in family farming.